This year, incoming freshmen were expected to write one essay and submit a video as a part of their application to Townsend Harris High School. This differed from the previous year as there used to be two required essays. Though this may seem like a benefit this change did not ease tensions among incoming freshmen, many of which had different issues and opinions on the admissions process.
The essay component consisted of a prompt, pertaining to the Ephebic Oath. The prompt remained similar to the previous year: identify two talents, gifts, interests etc. you possess that can enrich the Townsend Harris community and leave it ‘greater than you found it.’
We interviewed incoming freshmen and a staff member on their opinions about the application process. They shared reactions to the essay prompt, video, as well as their stress levels whilst applying. Additionally, some mentioned potential improvements that could be made. See what was said below:
Freshman – Lyam Mizatani
“It was a little difficult trying to fit the word count with all of the sources and information [in the essay].. But I think with enough time management it’s okay… But it was very stressful, especially with THHS and all the other high school applications. I also had to go to prep classes for [ the SHSAT] and it was definitely difficult.”
Freshman– Nabeeha Saeed
“I initially began with writing a script to go off of [for the video]. I tend to struggle with making ideas on the spot when I am being recorded, so making a script really helped me gain a better idea of what I was planning to express and the ideas I wanted to share throughout my video. It’s kind of nerve wracking when you’re trying to record yourself. I recorded multiple times when I began because I usually forgot a few lines or stuttered when trying to say a few phrases. I memorized each line one by one and recorded the video in intervals, pausing when I was done mentioning each sentence. After approximately 1-2 hours, I finally created a video that was good enough to submit in my application..”
Freshman – Matthew Animas
“I liked the essay, it was a good concept. It’s just the video: it’s hard to talk about [myself]. I would probably have the video prompt be a little more concrete; it feels too broad.”
Freshmen – Isfa Mahsheeat
“Like a lot of kids, I was put in prep classes for the SHSAT; it was for sure a lot of work, especially on top of essay writing for other schools. I found that just speaking my truth made the Townsend Harris application much easier than thinking of it as a scary assignment that would determine my life trajectory. With the SHSAT, there’s not a lot of room to actually show who you are, and that’s why the Townsend application was almost a breather from all the standardized testing for me.”
Freshmen – Minjune Jang
“I navigated the essay prompt by thinking of real world situations and by breaking down the article, highlighting key points that I could connect with. I personally thought the word count was more than enough. For next year, I personally think that the word count should be decreased by a little so that the student has to actually think really hard [and lay out their points concisely].”
Social Studies Teacher – Blayne Gelbman
During the high school application process, Mr. Gelbman read and scored some of the essays, and he said, “[The administration] is always trying to improve [the admissions criteria] based on feedback from the class of 2027. It is a balance of trying to create the fairest evaluation of a potential student based on personality, ability, and a rubric. We also had to take into account the possibility of applicants using AI to answer the questions, so we had to pivot…
The [new] criteria was better designed to allow us to assess which candidates would be high quality students. You can’t tell performance based off a short video and essay, but you can get an idea of reasoning skills, logic, creativity, assessment, thoughtfulness, and work ethic.”
